Method for making retainers for antifriction bearings



1943- v c. A. BADEN I 2,327,237

METHOD FOR MAKING RETAINERS FOR ANTIFRICTION BEARINGS 7 Original Filed Jan. 20, 1940 CAL-9L 4. 5406/11 gmrnqg Patented Aug. 17, 1943 UNITED "STATES PATENT [OFFICE I METHODFOR MAKING RETAINERS For 1 p I ANYTIFRICTIONBEARINGS f Klarl A. 5 Baden, Glenbrook, Conm, assignor td Norma-Hofiman Bearings Corporation, Stam-m. ford 001111;, a corporation of New York 7 v y g .Original application January'20, 1M0, Serial No.

' 314,779; Divided and this application Septemw ber 22, '19 i1, Serial No. 411,856 1 2 Claims. (01; Z a-448.4)"

This inventionrelates to a method for makin an improved roller bearing retainer of the one piece type. 7 Q

The purpose of this invention is toover'come the manufacturing .objectionsfof roller retainers now made, and the invention provides a method for making a roller retainer of thejone'piece type in which the rollers may bej snapped into position without'any-m'aterial binding of the metal and when so snappedinto position'to be held therein. 7 1

The invention consists in a method of making roller bearing pockets in a solid ring retainer,

which consists in first drilling circular openings radially from one side to the other side of vsaid solid ring spaced circumferentially alongthe central lineof the ring having a diameterequal to the diameter ofthe'roller' for which the retainer is intended, then broaching the ring to form the circular opening-into an opening having straight sides parallel with the axis of the ring and having its edges spacedsubstantially the distance of the diameter of said roller, then "breaching from spaced the diameter of the roller on one of the sidesof the ring. V v

The invention willjbe more fully described hereafter, embodiments will be shown in the drawing, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims. r

In the accompanying drawing'z" Figure .1. is a perspective view of the improved roller retainer, with the, outer ring of'the' roller bearing partly broken away made in accordance with my method;

Figure 2 is a perspective view, in an enlarged form, of a roller pocketin the retainer; I

Figure 3 is an end view of a ring which later forms a retainer but in its initial state, immediately after the circular holes have been drilled into the initial blank and beforebroaching;

Figure L is a partial circumferential view taken on line t-t of Figure 5, after thevform shown in Figure 3 has been subjected to breaching;

Figure 5 is a view of the ring or retainer shown in Figure 3 after it has been subjected. to the process of broaching; V

Figure 6 is a partial circumferentialViewtvith a'plan view of the tool usedforjshaving;

Figure 7 is a detail of a part of theretairier shown in Figure 5 with atooltherein in itsini tial position, readyz'to be 'moved downward in the direction of the arrows shown; 1Figure'8 is a fragmentary frontfview oi-Figure' 6 after the'toolhas done its work iandhas been removed therefrom; I I V Figure 9 is anotherffragm'entary perspective view of the retainer with a roller seat shown therein froml another direction of; viewthan the perspectiveof Figure2; i g i V t Figure 10 is a diagrammatic View of a part of the, re'taineraftei; it has been formed by the process described justas the roller is ready to be snapped into the pocket ofthe retainer; v

Figure 11 .is a similar diagrammatic view as shown in Figure 10; but with the roller seated ior operative purposes within the seats; Figure 12 is a diagrammatic side view oi a form using oiling channels; and I Figure 1 3 is a diagrammatic viewof a modified form of surface for the rolling member.

Similar characters of reference indicate 'jcorresponding parts throughoutithevarious views.

7 Referring to thewdrawing, and more particularly to Figures 3 to 8, 'a solid'ring fo'rming'the basis of a retainer is shown inFigure 3, provided in any'suitable manner with circular openings 12. This. ring'is then subjected to a well known broaching action, which is] so carried out that the diameter of. the,ho-le l2jindicated by the ring passes through the double headed arrow '13.

Above and below this diameter the material of the retainer l4 isprovidedby the breaching action with enlargedcutouts l5 and lfifl ibeing the upper one, and l 6 the lower one, the material ofthe retainer acljaceht tofu-being also removed so thatjthe distancebetweenithe upper face 'I 'I'A and the lower. face I8A (Figure'z) is slightly greater than the length of the roller to" be used.

Afterthe retainer'hasbeen provided with the desired number of cutoutst of the configure. "on just described, and which are generally indicated by the character'Zll and of the desired number to correspond to the number of rollers intended to be held by"the"retainer and which number varies from" caseto case,ra tool 2| shown in 'plan Figure 6 and in elevation partly in section in Figure 7, is inserted to the enlarged portion I 5-] 5 f the cutout 29. This tool 2| has a holding portion 22 and then enlarges by lateral curved portions 23, the curved portions corresponding to the curvature of the rollers or to whatever other contour is desired, thextool then merging into a narrower end portion 24 as shown in Figure 6.

When a tool of this character has been-inserted into the enlarged portion I i5 of thecutouts 20, it is then moved downward in thetdirection of the arrows shown in Figure 7, and in consequence the metal of the retainer isremoved along the portions extending from :the shoulder I! to the shoulder 18 until the tool enters the enlarged roIlers they may be inserted into the seats of the retainer and held therein, and at the same -.time the curvature of the seats corresponding to the curvature of the rollers giving a full face portions IGI6 of the cutouts iii vhereuponit is removed by beingwithdrawn'froin thejretai'ner. 1

This downward movement or the tool 21am shoulder I! to shoulder 13 and'below the shoulder l8, gives the material between H to it! a'curva- 5i ture correspondingto the curvature-of the contour of the tool, which is lil 'lethatof thefroller or other desired contourfiAny 'i'netal' such as result from the removal "of the portions of the retainer to provide these opposed contour sur- Y facs,- drops into the lower enlarged portion I6 and may .readilybe removed from the retainer.-

a In Figure .6 there is shown" in plan View the initial. lines which resulted from f the 'b a hi namely, the lines 21, and on var'dly oi'each pair of lines 21 there is showncoiitour lines 28 resulting from the operation of ,thetool i i. The entrance of tool 2| into the cutouts I5v or iiiiris determined by a suitable abutment generally indicated by 39 in Figure; 6, so that'w'ith the insertion of the tool into the r'espectiv cutouts i5 or I 6, the insertion is always the zsa'me'and the contour surfaces '23 arein proper'relationto the parts of the retainer between the shoulders I? and 18 so that. the contour obtained by the operation of tool 21 is exactly the sainel'j Inthe foregoing description the word downward was used in relation to the drawing sheet; The movement of the tool 2| is axial. Th tool.2i is inserted either into the slots 15 5, or into the slots Iii-4B, and then moved axially of the'ring i l, in one or the other direction. If the 'tool. is inserted in I5--i 5 then the axial movement of the toolis towards i6l6.' If the tool is inserted in |6 l6, then the istowards l5-'|5. i After the seats for axial movement of the tool th rollers have'thus been brought to prop'ercontour, aroller 'is' placed the roller will rest upon these points 3! and 33 and. can be inserted only into the roller pockets 39 and, 40 by a gentle pressure applied to the roller. 'Such a gentle pressure applied'will cause the points 3! and 38 to yield, due tothe'inhere-nt elasticity of the metal 'of the, retainer when such metal'is' present to'sucha fine'edge as the node of the two curved surfaces, namely the exterior peripheral curvatureand the contour forming the pocket of the ranch The metal will thereby give slightly just sufli'cient to allow the diameter of the roller to pass'between the edges '37 and 38, and the. roller will" thereby Tenter into its pocket. The inherent, resiliency of these edges 31 and 38 will cause the metal to spring back into contour brings about a very high efficiency of the operation corresponding to a decrease in friction.

' The curvatures need not, however, be the same.

Figures 2 and 9 there are shown in enlarged'form two different views of the roller pocln ets 28 showing the curvature thereof corresponding to the contour ofthe, tool and to circumference of the rollers. Retainers of this may be provided with any number of rollerpocltets in the embodiment shownin Figure '1, showing I6 roller pockets with the rollers therein, the retainer Mholding the rollers 35 and the roller bearing shown in Figure 1 being provided with its'inner race ring 4 5 and its outer race ring 46 in thelmann'er well known,

I Instead of limiting the motion or tool 21' a respect to its abutment in the manufacture and process, tool 2! can be supported in a stationary positiomgand a slide holding theretainer with its cutouts 20 can be moved to and. from tool, a stop being then provided for the slide. The tool can be governed by aspring so as to hold the tool normally again t an'adjustable stop for height, so that the normal shavin portion of the tool will enter into the upperifenlarged portion !5i 5 and after the tool hasbeen pressed downward or axially to carry out the shaving operation and reaches the enlarged pontion's i3-1l6, the retainer can be'withdrawn from the tool by moving its supporting slide, and the sliding action will. then move the'ltool from its lowerniost position back to its uppermost position. 111

. A shaving tool could be used in the roller r'etainer pocket, to provide an cil groove which under some conditions is an advantageous feature. Such a bearing is' shown in Figure 12.

The shaving tool has a projecting portion which the shavingoperation cuts'oilgrooves 59, each laterally of the roller pockets 5i and axially of the rolling member. The grooves 56 are shown in Figure 12, approximately on the pitch circle, but may be placed anywhere along the curvature.

Other contours of roller pocket walls may be .made by the same method, and the configuration of the tool would be modified accordingly Roller bearings are alsomade with rollers having alength considerably greater than the diameter, or in some cases, the length is less than the diameter, and the retainer may be r'n'ade for such variations.

The invention is also applicable to ball or needle bearings; I V 7 Instead of a cylindrical surface, a curved surface with different radii of curvatures can be used, or, the surface may have straight parts angularly disposed to each other as shown in Figure 13, in which the angularsiufaces 69 and GE make each a point or'line contact 62 with the rolling'meihber 35. a

From the foregoing description, it will be clear that a very simple method of operation has been provided by means of which the roller pockets in a retainer may be made, and after being made the metal of the retainer is not distorted and subjected to a deteriorating action, or rupture.

I have described the invention in connection with the embodiment shown, but it is clear that changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

This is a divisional application of my copending application Serial No. 314,779, filed January 20, 1940.

WhatI claim is: V

1. A- method of making roller bearing pockets in a solid ring retainer, which consists in first drilling circular openings radially from one side to the other side of said solid ring spaced circumferentially along the central line of the ring having a diameter equal to the diameter of the roller for which the retainer is intended, then breaching the ring to form the circular opening into an opening having straight sides parallel with the axis of the ring and having its edges spaced substantially the distance of the diameter of said roller, then b-roaching from one side to the other side of the ring along the sides of said openings, slot-like openings of. a circumferential length larger than the diameter of'said roller, and then shaving the material between the sides of the ring'axially from said slot-like openings to form opposed roller pockets of substantially the curvature of the roller, substantially the entire curved surfaces of the opposed pockets con- '2. A method of making roller bearing pockets in a solid ring retainer, which consists in first,

drilling circular openings radially from one side to the other side of said solid ring spaced circumferentially along the central line of the ring having a diameter equal to the diameter of the roller for which the retainer is intended, then breaching the ring to form the circular opening into anopening having straight sides parallel with the axis of the ring and having its edges spaced substantially the distance of the diameter of said roller, then broaching from one, side to the other side of the ring along'the sides of said openings, slot-like openings of a circumferential length larger than the diameter of said roller, and then shaving the material between the sides of the ring axially from said slot-like openings to 'form opposed roller pockets of substantially the curvature of the roller, substantially the entire curved surfaces of the opposed pockets contacting with the curved surface of the roller when the roller is sprung into said pocket be- ,tween the straight sides of the opening spaced the diameter of the roller on one of the sides of the ring, and controlling said shaving for each a pair of pockets so that every pocket has the same curvature, the slot-like openings permitting the entrance and exit of the shaving tool.

' CARL A. BADEN.

tacting with the curved surface of the roller when the roller is sprung into said pocket be- 

